Corey Perry expected to make Edmonton Oilers debut on Saturday
Edmonton Oilers’ head coach Kris Knoblauch said the team’s newest signing, Corey Perry, is expected to make his debut with the club on Saturday afternoon when they host the Nashville Predators.
“It’s looking as if he’ll play tomorrow.” — Kris Knoblauch on Corey Perry.
— Daniel Nugent-Bowman (@DNBsports) January 26, 2024
The Oilers signed Perry to a one-year contract last Monday. The future Hall of Fame winger became a free agent after the Chicago Blackhawks terminated his contract last November. Through 16 games with the Blackhawks, Perry scored four goals and five assists for nine points.
In a press conference on Monday, Perry told reporters he was excited to join the Oilers for the remainder of the 2023-24 season.
“This is a passionate fan base, it’s an exciting town and an exciting time for the Oilers organization,” Perry said. “You look around that room and you have some pretty tremendous players in Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Darnell Nurse and the list goes on.”
Drafted 28th overall by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, Perry has 421 goals and 471 assists for 892 points in 1,273 career games across 19 NHL seasons, playing with the Ducks, Dallas Stars, Montreal Canadiens, Tampa Bay Lightning and the Blackhawks.
Perry has also played in the Stanley Cup Playoffs 15 times, scoring 53 goals and 71 assists for 124 points in 196 career post-season games. He won a Stanley Cup with the Ducks in 2007, and in the latter half of his career, made it to three consecutive Stanley Cup Finals with three different teams: 2020 with the Stars, 2021 with the Canadiens and 2022 with the Lightning.
His best career season was in 2010-11, scoring a league-leading 50 goals, along with 48 assists for 98 points, dragging the Anaheim Ducks to the Stanley Cup Playoffs and winning both the Maurice Rocket Richard Trophy for most goals and the Hart Trophy for the league’s most valuable player.
The Oilers are 28-15-1 with 57 points, third in the Pacific Division. They’ve won 15 straight games and are two games away from tying the 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins for the longest winning streak in NHL history.